


Pawn Shop

by JynxFire



Series: Things Never Go According to Plan [1]
Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies)
Genre: Gen, Peter and Kraglin Family Bonding, Pre-Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Young Peter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-09
Updated: 2017-06-23
Packaged: 2018-11-11 15:03:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11150895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JynxFire/pseuds/JynxFire
Summary: Peter, being a curious kid, asks Yondu when his birthday is. When he doesn't get a satisfactory answer, he decides the best course of action is to get the grumpy blue man a nice new trinket for his collection. Kraglin, who got roped into the kid's plan, takes him to a pawn shop like planet. Things go well at first, but after a few missing posters, the feeling of being watched, and being told everything and anything could be sold there, the pair find themselves wishing Peter had just handmade something. It doesn't help when someone seems a little too interested in the Terran boy.





	1. Birthday

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first time I've ever written a story so sorry in advance. Criticism is very welcome!  
> Also, I wasn't sure how to rate this. It starts very G but I have plans in the future that, well...won't make it that. I don't know I'm a sucker for fluff as well as gore so eh. We'll see what happens.  
> Anyway thank you for reading and I hope I don't totally butcher their personalities.

"Hey Krag, do ya really think Horuz was right about this planet? Do ya think it'll have what we're looking for?" A young Terran boy was eagerly looking around as the M-ship he was riding in entered the atmosphere of a moon sized and heavily clouded planet.

"No doubt 'bout it, Pete." The Xandarian Ravager replied. Though spending the entire day one-on-one with Peter wasn't exactly his ideal use of his free time, as well as a strange gut feeling he couldn't shake- it was nice knowing this was all to get his captain a present. It made him chuckle a bit remembering how this whole thing started in the first place.

***

Peter had been on the Eclector for a little more than a year. He was a curious kid and asked every question he could think of about the ship. Once those ran out, he wanted to learn more about the crew. He'd ask things like _"What's your favorite color?"_ or _"What do you do for fun?"_ Basic things like that. One day however, he decided he wanted to learn more about Yondu.

"When's your birthday?" Peter stared at the Centaurian, who gave him a confused look in return. "You know," he went on. "The day you were born?"

Yondu couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes. "I _knew_ what you meant, boy!" What he didn't know was _why_ he'd asked that, especially out of the blue like this. And why Terrans made such a big deal out of it, anyway. It's just like any other day. "Now, why'd you ask me a thing like that?"

"I dunno," Peter shrugged innocently, no longer making eye contact. "It's just..." He trailed off for a moment, trying to find out how he wanted to phrase his reasoning. "We've never thrown you a birthday party. I mean, I've never heard anyone even ever wish you a happy birthday!" The priorities this kid had were comical. He couldn't help but laugh. Since Kraglin was the only other person around, Yondu was fine with being softer to Peter. Shaking his head with a small grin on his face, he lifted the kid up to sit on his lap.

"Listen, son. Some people just ain't the 'birthday' type," he tried to explain. "Some people don't see any reason to celebrate it." When life constantly punches you in the face, you don't exactly want to pay that much attention to the day you were brought into this cruel world. Not only that, but it's rather easy to lose track of the days when in space. Though, even with that hurdle, it hadn't stopped Peter. Yondu could recall one morning when Peter announced it had officially been his 'birthday month' and how he was wanting a present everyday. Either his mama spoiled that kid to death or he just had high expectations. In any case, it was pretty hilarious. Despite everyone assuming the kid was just guessing which Terran month it was, it didn't stop some of them from playing along. Peter ended up with a pretty big collection of candy, stones, and other small stuff that could be found. Even Yondu had secretly pitched in, letting the kid wake up to find his very own quad blaster. Though he'd never admit it, seeing Peter that excited had been heart warming.

"But why?" Peter snapped the man back into reality.

"Everyone has their reasons."

"Why?"

Sensing a pattern of that one worded question coming on, Yondu decided it was best to end the conversation there. "It's late, boy. Get some shut-eye." Even though Peter had learned early on that it was best to do what he was told the moment he was told, he couldn't help but complain a bit. "But I'm not tired!"

"...You know, I haven't eaten a single bite all day-" Yondu didn't even have to finish that sentence. That had been plenty for Peter to hurriedly get up and leave.

"Goodnight Yondu! Goodnight Kraglin!"

"G'night, Pete." Kraglin called back. He gave his captain a knowing look for a moment. At this point, Peter was literally the only one on the ship who still believed that he was in any danger of being eaten.

Having been around for the conversation, it didn't surprise the first mate that much when Peter approached him the next morning with a gleam of determination in his eyes. It was then when the kid proposed that they get Yondu a birthday present. Sure, he had no clue when that day was exactly, but it didn't mean he couldn't get it anyway. Maybe he could use it to bargain. A _you can have your present when you tell me your birthday_ kinda thing. Did Kraglin think it would work? Of course not. Was he going be the one to rain on Peter's parade? Of course not. Though, there was one main concern.

"What exactly are ya plannin' on gettin' him?" With that, the bright smile Peter wore wavered. He put his fingers to his chin, thinking hard.

"Getting who?" A third voice joined in. "Sorry, overheard ya." Horuz sat down at the table the two were occupying.

"We wanna get Yondu a present!" Peter exclaimed. Oh boy, _we_. There was no way Kraglin was getting out of this now.

"A present, ay?" The older man scratched at his beard. "Believe it or not, I might be able to help you out." He smiled when the two shared a look of surprise. "Well, there's a planet I know of not far from here- hell, not even a jump away. It's practically one big pawn shop. Can find anything there." After leaning back in his chair and putting his feet on the table, Horuz continued. He seemed to enjoy having a captivated audience. "Wouldn't be surprised if the Cap'n's been there himself. All sorts a lil knickknacks from different planets are there."

Peter looked like he had already made up his mind. "We are _so_ going." He began to tug at Kraglin's sleeve. "Right? _Right?_ "

"Now hold on, Pete!" The young Ravager turned his attention back to Horuz. "Don't s'pose it's dangerous there?"

"Nah. Not if you follow one simple rule; don' steal anything." Seeing a bit of confusion, he elaborated. "Found out the hard way. Last I was there, some poor bloke had taken this dagger from an Aakon. Got gutted on the spot once the Aakon realized it. Meanwhile, everyone else went on with their business like nothin' even happened." Peter's face said it all. His eyes were as wide as dinner plates. Clearing his throat, he added, "Other than that, it's very safe."

After a rather awkward silence between the three of them, Peter finally spoke up. "So...I'll just keep my hands outta my pockets and we'll be good then?" Getting a nod in reply, he turned his attention back to Kraglin. "We absolutely have to go. This is the perfect time!" He wasn't wrong. Today seemed to be a rather calm day. They weren't the only ones to notice that, either. A good amount of the crew seemed to be gone, likely out drinking their body weights in alcohol. Kraglin let out a sigh. It wouldn't be the first time it was him and Peter alone. However Yondu had made sure the planets Peter was on were safe. Speaking of Yondu, how was he going to bring this up to his captain, exactly? Peter would be heartbroken if he let slip the main reason why they were going. Looking down at the kid, he was greeted with giant, pleading eyes.

Darn. Why'd he have to have a soft spot for children?

"Alright." Kraglin muttered. "I'll go talk to the Cap'n."

Peter practically jumped in excitement. " _YES!_ " He started running towards the sleeping quarters. "I'm sure I have some spare change somewhere!" And with that, the kid was gone.

"I'll send you the coordinates, then." Horuz stood up and was about to walk away until Kraglin called the man's name.

Taking Peter somewhere he'd never been to made him feel a bit uneasy. Not to mention the consequences he'd face if something _did_ happen. "You sure it's safe for Pete?"

Putting a hand on the Xandarian's shoulder to ease his mind, he responded, "Any time I've been there bad things only happen if you take what ain't yours.

However..." His tone suddenly became very serious. "Make sure you take blasters. Knives wouldn't hurt, either." Well, _that_ certainly didn't make him feel better. "This place sells everything. And I. Mean. Everything." With that, Horuz went his separate way, leaving Kraglin to ponder what was last said to him.

Kraglin's mind was racing as he headed towards the ship's main area. Would it even be worth taking Peter to this mystery planet? There might be too many risks. Then again, he knew the kid was probably already in one of the M-ships, eagerly awaiting to go on this little adventure. Honestly, this little Terran is causing these weird situations he'd never even have imagined being in. Oh well, it's probably too late to complain. As he reached his destination, he planned out what he was going to tell Yondu. And who knows, maybe the response was going to be 'no.' Peter couldn't blame Kraglin for that!

...Who was he kidding, of course Peter would blame him. Probably start misbehaving around him and causing trouble, too. Spoiled child.

He came to a stop as he approached Yondu, who was chatting with another crew member and had a drink in his hand. After quickly clearing his throat, Kraglin spoke up. "Cap'n?"

Yondu turned to face his second in command. "Yes, Kraglin?"

"Pete's been wantin' to get out of the ship, Sir. Wants some fresh air." He wasn't lying. It had been awhile since Peter left the Eclector and he'd been more than happy to verbalize his thoughts on that matter. The complaints only ended after Yondu intervened. "Horuz mentioned a fairly safe planet not too far from here. Pete was hopin' I could take 'im there."

Yondu thought about it. It wasn't a bad idea. He was just a little surprised that Peter hadn't come to him directly. Usually he wanted to be accompanied by him whenever he left the safety of the ship. Bah, he can't hold the kid's hand for every little thing. Besides, he had full trust in Kraglin to keep the squirt from doing anything too stupid. Not to mention the welcomed peace it would bring not having that little ball of energy running around the ship for a few hours. "Alright. Just make sure he stays outta trouble."

 _Dammit._ Something about the whole thing still didn't sit quite right. Kraglin tried to keep those thoughts secret, but when you've been around someone for long enough, small details in expression and body language are harder to hide. He could tell that Yondu had noticed something was up. But instead of questioning him, he turned back to his previous activity. Perhaps if they were alone he would have said something, but since they weren't he must have assumed Kraglin would have brought it up if were urgent.

With that, he gave a small nod to his captain and headed towards the M-ships.


	2. Apple Pie and Other Silly Terran Things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say thank you so much for the support this has been getting. Honestly, I assumed this was going to get maybe one bookmark and five kudos at most. But man, you guys are way too awesome. Not to mention you lovely people who left comments!  
> But anyway, I'm more than positive that you didn't come here to see my ramblings, so in short; thank you, I appreciate every single one of you, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Peter ran as fast as his excited little legs would carry, causing him to almost go past his destination. He skidded to a halt in front of his sleeping quarters. Honestly, he wasn't sure why he had a room to himself. The rest of the Ravagers all slept in the same place. Sure, when he was first brought to the Eclector the room was practically godsent, but as the days went on the loneliness outweighed the fear. Even then, he stayed in the room until he was awoken by a particularly horrid nightmare that he couldn't calm down from.

Peter remembered when he waddled around the ship, unsure of it's layout at the time, until he finally reached the sleeping Ravagers. Once there, it didn't take him that long to find Yondu. He crept his way towards the man, afraid of what would happen if he woke up any of the strange aliens around him. Sleepily, Peter plopped himself next to the Centaurian who instantly woke up. Whether it was pity for the teary eyed boy or just tiredness, after a few annoyed sounding grumbles Peter could feel an arm go around him. Since then, the singular sleeping quarter didn't find much use. Still, it had its perks.

Peter entered the room. It was nice having a place where he could keep his few belongings safe. The most important of course being his Walkman, which he gently placed on the pillow of the bed. Next, he grabbed his black backpack and unzipped its smaller pocket, examining what was inside. He started using it as a piggy bank a while back. Whenever the Ravagers had a successful mission, Peter would secretly 'borrow' a few units just in case he was ever in need of money; much like now. Since he was never called out for it, he just assumed no one was aware of this little activity (Yondu was _very_ aware). There wasn't all that many units in his possession, but he prayed it would be enough to purchase whatever trinket he was hopefully going to find. Zipping the backpack back up, he put it on and left the room. He went back to running not too long after, eager to get to the area that held the M-ships. It didn't take Peter too long to reach it. Since Kraglin was nowhere in sight, he put it upon himself to choose the ship they'd be flying in. After a bit of looking around, he finally settled on one. It was a smaller M-ship. One that was, like Peter with the units- 'borrowed' from an ungrateful and violent client awhile back. Needless to say, said client didn't need it anymore.

When Peter entered the ship, he noticed that it seemed spacious considering the size. Though this was mostly due to the seats being built into the sides, leaving the middle open and empty. The only other thing of note was the small steps that led to the controls. He threw his backpack on one of the seats and took the very short climb. It led straight to two comfortable looking chairs. Despite knowing he'd have to move over, Peter sat on the pilot's side. Placing his hands on the controls, he let his imagination soar. He could see himself dodging asteroids and speeding around space without a care in the world. Even though the most practice he'd gotten at that point was moving a ship in a straight line, he promised himself he'd become the best damn pilot the galaxy had ever seen. Peter was so lost in these thoughts, he hadn't even noticed that someone had come up behind him and leaned on the chair.

"Not that I'm doubtin' your skills, Pete, but I'd like to reach the planet in one piece." The young boy jumped at the sudden voice and turned to see Kraglin. He crossed his arms, pretending to be angry at the tease.

"I bet a thousand units I could out pilot you!" Peter was already moving to the other chair as he said this.

"Sure, sure." The Ravager smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. Easiest thousand units he'd ever make if he actually took on the challenge. Maybe when the kid was older.

-

It didn't take too long to reach the mystery planet. The two swapped a few short words as they entered into the atmosphere. It was dangerously clouded, making Kraglin wonder just how dark the surface was going to be. To the surprise of him and Peter, once they breached the clouds they were welcomed to lights all across the surface. The rocks themselves were glowing. All the shops were outside and each seemed to burst with their own colors. Perhaps this was to easily clarify which was which. There were a large number of hills with unnaturally flat tops. Noticing other ships there, Kraglin found it easy to presume that this was where they were supposed to land. Before the M-ship fully touched the ground, Peter had already jumped down the steps, grabbed his backpack, and opened the door to the outside. Not even five minutes in and he was already tired of the kid's lack of caution.

Kraglin didn't even have a chance to get halfway through the M-ship before he was interrupted by something he had in his pocket. Reaching in, he noticed the communicators he picked up before leaving the Eclector were going off. Curious, and with the knowledge that his captain wasn't exactly the most patient man in the galaxy, he switched one of the comms on.

"Took you long enough to answer!" Yondu's voice rang out of the device, irritated.

"Sorry, Cap'n! I wasn't really expectin you to try and contact us." This was odd, to say the least. "Is everything okay?"

"Fine. Everything's fine." Silence followed after that. This situation wasn't just odd, but confusing. Then, something seemed to dawn on Kraglin.

Was...was Yondu _checking up_ on them? ...No, no that couldn't be it. Could it? He wasn't really one to 'check up' on his crew when they weren't out on some sort of mission. Especially when they hadn't even been gone that long. Then again, perhaps Kraglin's uneasy behavior earlier had bothered him?

He heard a sound of frustration come from the other side of the comm. "Just keep an eye on Quill. That boy can cause far more trouble than he's worth." With that, the connection was cut, leaving Kraglin to awkwardly stand in silence for the second time that day. He wasn't even sure if Yondu's annoyed tone had been directed at him or not.

Today was, for lack of a better term- rather unusual.

Kraglin met up with Peter outside, who had picked up one of the rocks and was inspecting it. "How's it glowing?" His bright eyes were filled with astonishment as he handed it over. Though it was large enough that Peter had to hold it with two hands, it was small enough for Kraglin to only use one. It wasn't that heavy, considering the weight a rock that size would normally be. It's glow was a faint blue. By itself, it would probably be difficult to see one's hand in front of their face. But the mass amount that littered the surface made the surroundings very visible.

"Not sure." The Xandarian answered as he lightly tossed the rock back to the living form of curiosity. Peter, who almost didn't catch it, took off his backpack and placed the rock within.

"Rocks can't technically be stolen, so we probably won't get in trouble for this." As he put the backpack back on, he walked over to the side of the hill to get a better look at the open market. He was so fixated on what was going on below that he didn't stop until Kraglin grabbed the collar of his shirt. A few more steps and the young Terran would have walked right off the edge. "Er...thanks."

"Please just be careful." He sighed. This wasn't just going to be an unusual day, it was going to be a  _long_  one too, wasn't it? He decided he might as well take in the sights along with Peter. He would have been lying if he said he wasn't curious about the place. It was rather lively below. As mentioned before, each shop within the open market had it's own unique colors surrounding it. This included the rocks, displays for the items, and what could be best described as Christmas lights that wrapped around the displays. There was, however, one area that was completely opposite from the rest. Rocks seemed to steadily come to a halt as they approached the much darker, sinister spot on the planet. It was the only place in eyesight that had buildings. This must be where the less than savory 'anything' Horuz warned about resided. Thankfully, Peter was too entranced by the lights to ask about it.

"Hey, Krags, look over there!" Peter pointed to a pathway on the edge of the hill that led down to the main area. "C'mon, let's go!" Before the Ravager even had a chance to speak, the boy had grabbed his hand and practically yanked him to where he wanted to go. The path itself wasn't exactly the safest looking. Sure, it had railing, but the gap between it and the ground was so wide that one unfortunate slip would cause anyone to tumble to their doom. The railings themselves looked nice, though. They were evenly wrapped with lights that shone a little brighter but ultimately matched the color of the ground.

As the pair made their decent downward, Kraglin decided it was best to make some basic rules for Peter despite being convinced his words would be taken with a grain of salt.

"Hey, Pete. Make sure you stay close, alright? Seems a bit crowded down there." After reaching into his pocket with his free hand, Kraglin handed Peter a communicator and teasingly added, "this is just in case you ignore me completely and run off somewhere."

"Well geez, with that amount of faith in me..." Peter mumbled sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he pocketed the small device. He couldn't say such a thing _wasn't_ a possibility. Even he could admit that he was an easily distracted kid. He just couldn't help it sometimes.

As they reached the bottom of the hill, they were enveloped by their surroundings. The mixture of lights, smells, and happy chatter that filled the place complemented each other nicely. The already adrenalized Peter seemed all the more eager to explore. "Let's go over here!" Another strong tug led them towards a pink lit store that displayed different types of desserts. What had drawn Peter to the area was the ability to recognize some of the edibles to be from Earth. Cakes, macaroons, doughnuts. They weren't even some sort of alien knockoff. No, they seemed like the real deal. Smelt like it, too.

Kraglin noticed the look that flashed in Peter's eyes as he stared at the sweets. Nostalgia, longing, sadness. His gaze seemed to especially linger on one of the foods labelled "apple pie." _'No.'_   Kraglin told himself. _'Don't. You. Dare.'_   Peter lightened his grip on Kraglin's hand; which also allowed blood to finally flow through it again- and wistfully looked away.  _'Spoiled! Spoiled, SPOILED, S-P-O-I-L-E-D kid!!'_

"How much for the apple pie?" Kraglin grumbled. Peter's head shot up to look at the Ravager with a clutter of emotions running across his young face.

"50 units per slice." The shop owner replied. Not a bad price at all considering the pie's place of origin.

"I'll have one, please." He handed over the money after the shop owner cut a slice, providing a fork to go along with it.

The pair made their way towards a bench so Peter could have an easier time eating. He still hadn't properly thanked Kraglin yet- didn't know _how_ to properly verbalize his gratefulness. As far as he knew, this was going to be the only time he'd ever have a chance to eat any human made food again. "I..." was all the boy managed to say. He was gazing at the pie, not having even taken a bite yet. Peter was almost afraid that it would somehow vanish if he even thought about looking away.

Kraglin wore a gentle smile. Though he was a little annoyed with himself during the purchase, Peter's reaction was well worth it. He was starting to understand how Yondu must feel whenever he did selfless things for the kid- though his captain did it far more secretly. "You'll probably wanna eat that before ya drop it or something." After a few more minutes of silent staring, Peter finally took his first bite.

It was a small bite. More of a nibble, really. But that's all he needed to almost start scarfing down the whole thing. _Almost._ As much as he wanted to gobble the slice down, he also wanted to savor every bite; to be able to recall the taste and texture after the apple pie was long gone. Peter only stopped once to ask if Kraglin wanted a bite, who ended up declining the offer. 

Before he knew it, the pie was gone. Peter was a tad bummed that it was gone so quickly, but he still hadn't gotten over that it existed in the first place. Quietly, he got up and placed the fork and plate into a garbage bin next to the bench.

"Well," Kraglin stood up, ready to continue on with their main reason for coming to the planet. "Guess we should-" He was cut off by Peter, who had pulled him into a tight hug. "I...uh..." He wasn't sure how to respond. He was stunned by the sudden act. The only other person he'd ever seen Peter hug like this was Yondu (but that was also supposed to be a secret). Not only that, but this had been the first time the boy had ever hugged him. It wasn't until Kraglin heard a muffled _"Thank you"_ that he was able to regain his composure. Another smile made its way onto his face as he hugged Peter back.

-

Finding Yondu a new trinket was proving harder than the two had originally thought. Of course, there was always a chance they were just being overly picky. That didn't stop Peter from complaining that he was "a grumpy blue man who was impossible to shop for," though. They visited store after store, steadily moving closer to the darkened area Kraglin had hoped they'd steer clear of.

"One more store, Krags, just _one_ more store!" was a phrase that had been uttered multiple times at this point. It was going to ring true rather soon. There was only two stores left that looked like they'd even have the possibility of carrying what the two were looking for. The rest seemed to sell food or some form of animals. Besides, those buildings were far too close for comfort.

"We can't give up!" Let's check that one." Peter pointed to a green lit part of the marketplace that had a large tarp set above it. Well, they've come this far.

"Lead the way." And that's what Peter did. Kraglin did have to admit, despite the constant failure, that kid was remarkably committed to finding Yondu that gift. Or maybe he was just as remarkably stubborn as the 'grumpy blue man.' 

"I have a good feeling about this." Peter was confident as he looked around, especially since the place was filled with more Terran...was it insensitive to call it junk? Because it sure looked like a lot of random junk. Then again, maybe that's just what they needed. Peter inspected some of the items for a few minutes. It didn't take long for him to linger on one of them, however. Seeing as though he wasn't shouting every word he could think of relating to success, Kraglin knew this had to be more personal. _Oh boy._ He almost wanted to pretend that he didn't notice the boy's face was upset again.

Dammit.

Kraglin walked over to see what Peter had picked up. It was a stuffed bear, small enough to easily fit in the boy's hand. There wasn't really much to note about it except that it wore a shirt with three stripes; red, white and blue respectively. In the middle was a blue circle with white stars that were around two bears. Huh. It meant little to him, but he could tell it meant the world to Peter.

_'Nope.'_   He thought to himself. _'You aren't doing this again.'_   Kraglin turned to focus his attention on something else. That didn't last long though. _'Don't even think about it. That was a one time thing.'_   No doubt Peter would notice a pattern and start taking advantage of it. Give the kid an inch and he'd run a marathon. He _had_ to be aware of his natural adorableness at this point. Yeesh, perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to bring him along the next time the Ravagers disappointed a client. He could help them get out of a sticky situation in no time.

Peter seemed to notice he was being watched. After a few more moments of holding the bear, he gently placed it back where he found it and continued searching. Kraglin decided to give him some space, but not _too_ much. It was just enough that they weren't next to each other but still easy to spot. More time had passed. Kraglin noticed there was someone at the edge of the shop, closest to the dark place he tried desperately to ignore at this point. It was impossible to figure out what they looked like, as they were shrouded in black clothing. This included a hood that hid their face. The Xandarian had a bad feeling about them. They weren't even looking around. They were just standing there like some sort of statue. Perhaps he would have written them off as one if it weren't for the fact that this wasn't their first encounter.

Ever since the apple pie incident, Kraglin had noticed there were eyes that seemed to follow him and Peter wherever they went. It wasn't until maybe the third store where he saw them; the hooded figure who was always standing near the entrances. He hadn't thought too much about it the first time they appeared. It was the second, third, and fourth times that made him suspicious. There were times where the Ravager would stare directly at them and lightly place his hand on his blaster, trying to convey the message that he wasn't afraid to shoot if they tried something funny.

"Perfect! This'll be perfect!" Peter voiced with exhilaration, causing Kraglin to return his attention back to the kid. The boy made his way towards him to show what he had found. It was a keychain of a short, black fellow that wore the colors of green, red, and white. "This is Marvin the Martian!" Peter starting babbling on, trying to explain this little character. Kraglin couldn't keep up with his fast words. The most he was able to decipher was 'Mars,' something about a rabbit, and 'Earth-shattering kaboom.'

Terrans were weird, but at least they finally found what they were looking for.

"Yondu doesn't have any Earth stuff," Peter was starting to talk with a much calmer pace. "I wanna help him with that."

Terrans were also good-natured. The two made their way to the shop owner.

Peter handed over the keychain and asked "How much?" He was already pulling out units from his backpack.

"200 units."

Peter bit his lip. It was obvious he didn't have enough. That was unsurprising. Before Kraglin could offer to pay, Peter had looked the shop owner directly in the eyes. His own were big and pleading.

"Isn't there any way I could get it cheaper?" Holy crap he was trying to bargain, and he was using his cuteness to his advantage. Kraglin couldn't help but feel proud. He knew Yondu would feel the same. When a Ravager couldn't steal something, haggling the hell out of it was the next best thing. They didn't even teach the boy this. He seemed to pick it up on his own. Almost made him wonder if Peter hadn't already learned the skill when he was on Terra. He seemed a little _too_ good at it.

Peter and the shop owner continued to swap words. Kraglin noted that the kid had the ability to conjure up crocodile tears. Definitely something good to know for the future. Eventually, they were able to settle on an affordable price range.

"Thank you!" Peter waved as they left. He had placed the keychain in the backpack pocket where the units used to be.

Kraglin ruffled the boy's hair affectionately. At this point, said hair was too messed up to fix. "Nice going back there, _Star-Lord_."

Peter looked surprised, but happy at the same time. He didn't think that smile could get any bigger, but there it went.

When the nickname was first brought up, Peter had only been on the Eclector for a few weeks. He was still trying to figure out how to act around the aliens that may or may not eat him. He'd tried different tactics. That day, he had mustered up enough courage to put on an overly brave face. " _Hey!_ " He called out to the Ravagers, trying to keep his voice as steady as possible. "My name is Star-Lord, and I'm not afraid of any of you!" There was a brief silence, followed by laughter. Peter's bravery had vanished. The next few days were awful for the young boy. Some of the Ravagers didn't pay much mind to what Peter had said while others were too drunk to even remember their own names. There were a select few, however, that didn't let the kid off so easily. They teased him constantly about the nickname to the point where Peter wasn't going to stand by and take it. He ended up punching one of the Ravagers in the gut. Not the best move he could have made. Thankfully, the injuries Peter would get in return only escalated to a black eye before a whistle could be heard.

"What in blazes where you thinkin, boy!?" Yondu had been scolding him for what seemed like forever. "I should'a let ya get beatin' to a pulp. Then maybe you'd understand your place on this ship!"

_"Then why didn't you!?"_ Peter practically screamed back. It hadn't been his intention. He was just too overwhelmed with negative emotions that he couldn't stop himself. He thought he was going to be punished for the outburst. Instead, to the kid's shock, Yondu had let out a sigh. It was obvious anger wasn't getting them anywhere. He sat down next to Peter, hoping to get an answer out of his next question.

"What's so important about that nickname of yours, anyhow?" His tone was much calmer now. He wanted to understand why the boy was so emotional over this. A hint of kindness was all that Peter had wanted. He ended up pouring his soul out to the Ravager captain that day.

Kraglin didn't know what happened during that conversation and he never asked. He just knew the name was important to the young Terran. That's when he decided he'd call Peter by that nickname whenever he did something worth praising. Goodness knows the boy needed more positivity in his life.

-

Peter was a little torn. He wanted to get back to the M-ship as fast as possible so he could give Yondu his present. On the other hand, there was still a few more stores he wanted to check out. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see one that was like an adoption center. Like many other places in the market, it too sold Terran exclusives. "Can we get that puppy? I'll take good care of them-"

"Nope." Kraglin cut him off. He knew the kid's tricks and there was no way he was going to let himself fall for them. He heard small grumbles in response, but they weren't all that sincere so he just rolled his eyes. _Give the kid an inch..._

While Peter was focused on the animals, something else had caught Kraglin's attention. Something far less lighthearted. Just a few steps past the last store the two had visited was a a small billboard. It was completely covered in missing posters. The Ravager slowly walked over, inspecting it. Those missing ranged from seemingly all races and ages. The one thing they did have in common was that they were last seen on this planet. A shiver ran down his spine. That bad feeling he had returned twofold. At least their business with the planet was done.

"Okay, Pete, let's get back to the ship." No response. "...Pete?" The boy wasn't by his side anymore. Kraglin's mind didn't jump to the worst case scenario, however. That kid had probably ran over to go play with that dog. Shaking his head, he headed for that direction. Ironically enough, it was also the last store before the glowing rocks stopped. It was literally on the edge of darkness. "Alright, Pete. Enough games. We gotta head back." He said this before realizing- _there was no Terran boy there either._  Well, fine then. Kraglin knew the communicator was going to come in handy. He switched the device to connect with it's pair.

Peter was smart enough to know to answer, so why wasn't he? 

"Peter, this ain't funny! Stop hiding so we can go!" Now, it took a lot to make Kraglin panic; he was a very level headed guy. However, this was with out a doubt raising his concern levels. He focused his gaze to the darkness. Standing on the border between light and shadow, he could already feel the buildings tower over him. Squinting, he noticed that there was something lying on the ground. It was too dark to make out, though. Cautiously, he picked up one of the rocks at tossed it in that direction. What it revealed made his heart drop.

There on the ground, which could have been easily overlooked- was a backpack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, things are starting to get interesting~


	3. Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning, this next chapter is going out of the fluff and into the reason why this isn't G.  
> Disturbing imagery will be discussed (though in as little of detail as possible) and there will be violence.

Oh, this was bad. This was _very_ bad. Kraglin bolted into the darkness, scooping up Peter's belongings as he went by. He only slowed his pace after realizing there was no way he'd be able to navigate through the dark. Turning his head revealed just how far that rush of adrenaline had taken him, making him curse under his breath. Why hadn't he picked up one of the rocks along the way? One hand stretched out in front of him to make sure he wouldn't run into anything as the other clenched the backpack.

...The backpack!

The Ravager didn't know how thankful he should feel for Peter's curiosity as he dug through the black bag. Sure, it was about to provide him a light source, but it was also the reason why he was in this mess to begin with. It only took him a second or two to find the glowing stone stashed within. Just as he imagined, it didn't provide much illumination. However, beggars can't be choosers. It was far better than the pitch blackness he was working with before. With the straps of the backpack over his shoulder, Kraglin quickened his pace once again. Knowing without a doubt that it would be used, he readied his blaster with his free hand.

Excluding the sound of his own footsteps, the area was deathly silent. This left Kraglin at mercy of his thoughts. He was absolutely furious with himself for letting Peter out of his sight. The only small comfort he had was that it had only been for a short moment, not giving whoever took the boy time to go far. The path he followed led him to the doors of a large building. This was where things were about to get tricky. Kraglin knew he only had one shot at finding Peter, so searching the wrong building would have dire consequences. The uncertainty was an awful thing, but he had to make a choice. Taking a deep breath, he decided it would be best to check what was in front of him. Cautiously, he opened the door.

Now, when Kraglin realized Peter was kidnapped, his mind had instantly gone to trafficking. It was the only thing that made sense. Why else would someone want a young, healthy boy? With those expectations in mind, what he found on the other side of that door completely stunned him.

The glowing rock fell from Kraglin's hand.  _This place sells everything. And I. Mean. Everything._  Those words rang in his ears. Words that didn't prepare him for something like this. The giant room was so cold that he was able to see his breath. That wasn't the most chilling thing about it, though.

The room was some sort of art gallery. A horrendous, morbid art gallery. It was full of corpses, all of which were separated by glass. Each was disturbingly and uniquely posed within their glass prisons. Some wore fancy outfits, others sat at little tables. Unbelievably, that wasn't even the worst of it. There were plenty more bodies that looked like they had been slaughtered then left for display. They too had their own uniquenesses about them. There were those who were cut open, allowing their insides to no longer stay where they belonged. Others were missing body parts. All were left a horrifyingly gory mess.

The missing posters appeared in the back of Kraglin's mind. Some of their faces matched. He shook his head, not even wanting to think about it. He wanted to focus on something else- _anything_ else. His eyes managed to do just that. Near the ceiling were different pipes. One in particular had a noticeable puncture in it. It was labeled 'gas.' Oh, _that_ wasn't dangerous at all.

It wasn't until something ran into the Xandarian that he snapped his attention forward, blaster pointed. It was a counter. And more accurately, _he_ ran into _it_. It didn't even occur to him that his legs had been moving on their own the entire time. Behind it was another door. Just above that was a large sign.

_'Taxidermy. Speak with worker at counter about prices.'_

He felt sick, but he continued to read. It listed what was in and out of stock, making each race that was up there sound like an item instead of a once living being. There was one important bit of information the sign held.

_'Restocking: Terran'_

_No_. That was _not_ going to happen. Kraglin jumped over the counter to gain access to the door. Surprisingly, it was unlocked.

The first thing to hit him was the smell. Rot. He knew what a decaying body smelt like, and it was unnerving. Still, he pressed onward, blaster ready to fire at any sudden movements. The door led to one long white hallway with even more doors littering the sides. Only the one at the end of the hall was open, however. He carefully made his way there, trying to walk quietly on the tiled floor. A feeling of relief washed over him when he finally got to his destination.

_"Peter!"_ The boy shot his head up from between his knees. The poor kid was huddled up in the corner of a cell not even big enough for him to stand in. Next to the cell was a desk with keys and what looked like a broken communicator. Kraglin rushed over to free the kid. He was greeted with a terrified hug once the cell door was open, with _'I'm sorry'_ meekly on repeat. The Ravager lightly petted the back of the boy's head, trying to calm him down. "Hey, don't worry, Pete. Yer safe now. Promise."

Peter finally pulled away, allowing Kraglin to get a better look at the kid. Concern was back full force. There was blood coming from the side of the boy's forehead. Not having any bandages on hand, Kraglin pulled out a knife from his pocket and starting ripping at his own sleeve. Peter watched silently, too traumatized to do much else. When he felt like he had a sufficient amount of cloth, Kraglin starting wrapping it around the wound.

"Gotta stop the bleedin'." He said this so quietly it could almost pass for a whisper. "Maybe you'll get a cool lookin' scar." No response. That was only natural. Who knew what the boy had seen up to that point. Regardless, it pained Kraglin to see him like that. He needed to find some way to cheer him up, even just a little. Noticing the backpack on the floor he must have dropped when he saw Peter, he pulled it over and took out a keychain.

"Hey, Pete, remember this?" The boy was motionless for a moment, his eyes looked distant. Eventually, he gave a very small nod. "We still gotta get this to the Cap'n." He let Peter hold the keychain. As his emotionless eyes scanned it, Kraglin's fear for the boy's mental health grew. He couldn't even imagine the effect this experience might have had on his young mind.

"Maybe you can tell him what you told me about the little guy. Martin, was it?" He remembered what the actual name was. He had a skill for retaining the information he'd been told. He just wanted to hear Peter say something.

"...Marvin." It had taken a moment, but Peter quietly corrected before slowly retrieving his backpack and placing the keychain back inside. He then put the straps over his shoulders, getting a bit of comfort having the backpack near him again.

Suddenly, there was the sound of a door slamming. It forced the pair back on their feet. Whoever took Peter must have realized they were no longer alone. Acting fast, Kraglin took out his comm and shoved it in Peter's hands. "Contact the Eclector."

Just as the words left his mouth, the hooded figure that had previously stalked them emerged from the hallway. It was enough for Kraglin to shoot them square in the chest then pick up Peter. He ran past the figure as they struggled to get up.

"Now, Peter. _NOW!_ " That was enough to snap the boy out of his trance. He switched on the communicator.

"Yondu! YONDU!" Peter was screaming. He didn't give the captain enough time to get even one word in. "We're under attack! Th-this guy won't leave us alon- _GAH!_ " The comm was shot right out the kid's hand. Having destroyed their means of back-up, the pursuer was now aiming to kill.

Shooting and carrying a kid at the same time was nearly impossible, but Kraglin still had a tight grip on his blaster. He had an idea. He wasn't sure if it would work but it couldn't hurt to try. "Close your eyes and keep 'em shut, Pete," he ordered the boy who unarguably complied.

They made it out of the hall and into the main room of the building. When they were about to reach the door to the outside, Kraglin knew it was now or never. Turning his body to get as a precise shot as possible, he aimed for the gas pipe and fired. Within a matter of seconds there was an explosion.

-

Kraglin awoke to high pitched ringing in his ears. He was on his side and had Peter grasped protectively in his arms. A groan escaped his lips as he rolled onto his back, sitting up shortly after. Running his hand through his hair as he looked upon the burning building in front of him, he realized just how bad of a plan that had been. Couldn't argue with results, though. They were alive and whoever had hurt Peter was dead. There was no doubt about that. 

"-a-" Sound was slowly but surely returning. Panicked voices could be heard in the distance. "Kraglin!" He turned to see Peter, who was holding tightly onto the Ravager's arm. "I wanna go home." The boy looked absolutely exhausted. 

Kraglin felt the same. Slowly, he got to his feet and helped Peter do the same. "Yeah. Let's head back to the M-ship. If we're real lucky, Cap'n will be there so I won't have..to...pilot...." His words slowed as his eyes fixated on the building. No. It was _impossible_. His eyes had to be messing with him.

There, emerging from the flames like a demon escaping hell, was a figure. With the clothes having almost all burnt off, a metallic gleam was reflecting off the fire. 

The one who had taken Peter and sold the remains of the dead was some form of android.

"Run." Kraglin grabbed the the boy's hand and booked it out of there. Thankfully, the fire made it much easier to navigate the area and they made it back to the marketplace in no time. Screams could be heard behind them as the android became visible for all to see. Fortunately, it didn't have any weapons. Unfortunately, Kraglin was unarmed as well, having lost his blaster when the building blew up. At least there was a weapons shop on the way towards the M-ship. He didn't care how much he 'wasn't supposed to steal' on this stupid planet. This was an emergency and the owner didn't complain when he picked up a blaster and started firing at the threat.

Not even a dent. Kraglin decided it was best to just focus on running. More shouting could be heard before he and Peter started being fired upon. Seemed like that robot had had the same idea. Thankfully, they made it to the hill's pathway. If they kept up this pace, the pair would reach the ship before the android would reach the top of the hill. Things were going well considering the situation. Too well.

As they were about to reach the flat part of the hill, a loose stone made Peter lose his footing. His grip on Kraglin's hand hadn't been that secure, leaving him to desperately try and grab the railing as he slid but it was in vain.

"Peter!" Kraglin caught his arm just in time. "Don't worry, I got ya!" He pulled the boy back up with urgency. Those precious few seconds were enough for the android to catch up. It fired multiple shots. It wasn't at the pair, though they did have to duck out of the way- but at the ship, completely damaging the wing. _They were trapped._

Kraglin pushed Peter behind him and pointed the blaster at the bloodthirsty machine. Peter shut his eyes, hearing six shots in total. Things went quiet after that. It seemed as though an eternity had passed before he finally heard something- or someone fall to the ground. Slowly, he reopened his eyes.

"K _-KRAGLIN!_ " Peter rushed over to Kraglin, who had fallen onto his side. He had one hand on his exposed side and the other on his chest. Blue blood was seeping past his fingers from both spots. Peter was shaking. "Y-you're gonna be okay, right? Please tell me you're gonna-" The boy was cut off by more blaster shots, making him reluctantly retreat. 

It seemed as though Kraglin had still been able to get a few good shots in. Having learned that the metal on the chest was too strong, it seemed he had aimed one shot at the head and three on the arm that had held the blaster. That little plan worked as it's arm had been taken clean off. It didn't stop it from using it's remaining one, though.

Seeming satisfied with the damage it caused the Xandarian, it was now on the pursuit of the young Terran. The latter of which was seeking refuge within the ship.

Peter let out a quiet whimper. He was too terrified to move as he heard heavy footsteps come his way. He was a sitting duck, praying for someone to come to his rescue. Those prayers seemed to go unnoticed as he heard the ship's door screech open.

" _HEY!_ " Someone had called out. Peter frantically looked out the window to see Kraglin, who had managed to stand up and follow the droid. One hand was still resting on his side while the other held his blaster. The second it looked his way, he opened fire. He didn't stop until the shots knocked the android off the hill. With heavy breaths, he lowered the weapon and let it fall from his hand.

Peter ran out and helped Kraglin slowly limp onto the ship. Once on board, the Ravager collapsed.

"N-no! Kraglin..." Peter knelt down beside him, tears welling in his eyes.

"Hey..." Kraglin spoke with a low voice. "What...what would Cap'n say if he...if he saw ya cryin' like that?" His words only seemed to make the boy cry more. "It's okay, Pete. Everythin....everythin's gonna be alright now." Slowly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bear and offered it to Peter. Kraglin frowned a bit as he noticed that it was now stained with blood.

Peter took the Missouri flag wearing bear with shaking hands. He was speechless. "When...when did you...?"

Weakly grinning, Kraglin answered, "When you was...inspectin' all that stuff so...so intensely." Originally, he had planned on giving Peter the bear after he finished his very first mission. _Originally_. "You, uh...you're gonna give Cap'n that keychain, right?"

Peter wiped his eyes. He hated crying. He hated it _so much_. Yet here he was doing exactly that. "We're gonna give it to him together!" He also hated how the Ravager had made that last sentence sound. "Right, Kraglin?"

There was a noise outside the M-ship. It made Peter turn, afraid of what he might see. Nothing. He had a bad feeling, though. His eyes shifted back to Kraglin, who was no longer conscious. Lightly, he shook him. "Kraglin?!" That was all he managed to say before something began firing at the ship. Letting out a panicked gasp, he couldn't believe his eyes. As impossible as it had seemed to Peter; there, dragging it's way towards the ship, was the damaged beyond repair android. It had somehow managed to climb it's way back up the hill and pick up the blaster left by Kraglin.

Peter's heart was pounding as loudly as his injured head. His eyes were darting around, trying to find out what to do. _'The door,'_   he told himself. _'I gotta get that door closed before it gets in!'_   They needed as much protection as they could possibly get. As fast as his body allowed, he rushed to the door. This action only greeted him with a shot to the leg, making him fall instantly with a pained scream.

A feeling of hopelessness crept over Peter's body. The android entered the ship. He knew it was going to kill him. It was only a matter of time. However, his surroundings were getting hazy, and his last wish was that he'd be unconscious before the robot got to him.

Suddenly, like an angel itself had come to save him, the android was stopped in its tracks. The last thing he had remembered hearing before blacking out was what he started to regard as his favorite sound; a whistle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like you to know that my original plan was for Peter to shout "TERMINATOR" once the android emerged from the flames, but I ended up cutting it since it would have thrown a dent into that sweet, sweet drama.


	4. Regret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter that focuses on what Yondu was doing during Kraglin and Peter's (mis)adventure.

It was a quiet day on the Eclector, which was good because that's what the ship's captain had planned. The members of the crew had picked up countless jobs as of late and even though most payed well, it was exhausting work. So exhausting in fact that a certain Centaurian knew he needed to dedicate a few days for relaxation and personal time for the Ravagers. Perhaps they'd take a trip to Knowhere or even Contraxia in the near future- but for now, it was decided the best course of action was to just let the large ship rest among a safer section of space and permit the crew to visit any of the nearby planets. There had been one member, however, that Yondu hadn't expected to want to leave that day. And he'd soon regret allowing them to.

"Pete's been wantin' to get out of the ship, Sir. Want's some fresh air," Yondu's first mate said. "Horuz mentioned a fairly safe planet not too far from here. Pete was hopin' I could take 'im there." Peter seemed to be avoiding him that day, which was odd. Was it because he didn't answer the boy's question the night before? If that was the case, he'd smack Quill upside the head because there were far greater things in this galaxy to be upset about than something stupid like that.

Still, if the kid wanted to explore one of the planets for a bit and Kraglin was willing to take him, Yondu wasn't complaining. "Alright. Just make sure he stays outta trouble."

Kraglin didn't looked too pleased about that answer. Seemed as though spending the day with Peter was less willed and more forced. The Ravager captain would have laughed at that if it weren't for him realizing a split second later that the reluctance wasn't of annoyance, but of uneasiness.

That made Yondu linger for a moment, waiting for Kraglin to speak up. Oh, who was he kidding? The younger Ravager hardly ever did such a thing unless asked directly, and even then he'd still end up holding a few of his thoughts back. He swore while the rest of his crew were usually unafraid to voice whatever came to their minds, this man was the only one to make him frustrated for _not_ talking. Then again, this was more of a nitpick. He did enjoy having someone around who would just listen instead of adding their two cents to a conversation.

Knowing he wasn't going to get any answers by just standing there and not really wanting to push the matter, Yondu turned his attention back to his previous conversation. He had been talking with Oblo about the ship and if any of it's parts were in need of replacement.

It was a shame he was too distracted now to really pay attention to what his crew member was saying. He suppressed a sigh. Damn, probably should of asked. But it was too late as the second in command had already left. Allowing the discussion to come to a close, Yondu took a last swig of the bitter liquid he'd been drinking and headed for the mess hall. There was a certain someone's name mentioned and he wanted to get some answers from them.

The mess hall itself was emptier than usual. Still loud, though. The man Yondu was looking for was at one of the tables with Gef and Vorker. Something hilarious had to of been said, as the three were laughing up a storm.

"Horuz, come 'ere." The Ravager captain ordered once he got in ear shot. He quickly followed the command and was on his feet in no time.

"Yes, Cap'n?" He seemed unsure as to why he had been called over.

Yondu crossed his arms, making it clear he wasn't in a patient mood. "You're gonna tell me 'bout this planet I just allowed my first mate and youngest crew member go to."

So, Horuz told him everything he knew about it. Yondu began to question why Kraglin had seemed so troubled about the place. It wasn't until Horuz's tone shifted that he understood.

"They sell everything there." It was spoken somberly, making the Centaurian narrow his eyes. That was enough to make the man clarify what he meant. "This ain't from personal experience, mind you. I've always stayed with the crowd. However, 's not hard to tell somethings up if you keep your eyes and ears open." He slowly licked his lips, contemplating if he should continue. It was obvious there was something important he was holding back. This made Yondu raise an eyebrow. 

"Well, _spit it out!_ "

"Kidnappings, I've seen it happen with my own two eyes. Some say it's trafficking. I've heard other's say it's for something just as bad. Could easily be for both." He knew he should of stopped while he was ahead. Perhaps Yondu wouldn't of been as furious if Horuz didn't look guilty. There had been _no way_ he had informed Kraglin about this. If he had, there wouldn't of been a chance in hell that he would of taken Peter to a place that dangerous. "B-but it only happens if ya get close to the shadier area of the planet! I can't see them going anywhere near there! And if they did, I can't imagine Kraglin lettin' the boy out of his sight!" Even if the man was trying to save his own ass, he did have a point. Then again, Yondu had first hand experience when it came to Peter around stores. That kid was an easily distracted mess. Whether it was a Terran thing or just Quill being Quill, he didn't know.

Yondu gave a drawn-out whistle, making his Yaka Arrow follow the now backing up Horuz as it stayed inches from his face. "Now you listen here," The room had gone completely silent by that point. _Good_. His crew needed to know that putting his first mate or the boy in the pathway of danger like this would be a death wish. "If somethin-  _anythin'_ happens to either Kraglin or Quill, you'll wish it was _you_ on that planet instead of them by the time I'm through with ya." With that, he turned his back on the now petrified man and left, whistling one last time for the arrow to return to it's holster.

Yondu walked to the main area of the Eclector and sat down in his chair. Knowing he wouldn't feel better until he made sure the two hadn't done something stupid, the Ravager captain contacted Kraglin. It took the first mate a few moments longer than he would have preferred but he finally answered his communicator.

"Took you long enough to answer!"

"Sorry, Cap'n! I wasn't really expectin you to try and contact us." There was a small pause. "Is everything okay?" His voice had a mixture of confusion and concern.

"Fine. Everything's fine." Yondu dragged his hand down his face. _This was ridiculous_. Why was he checking up on them? He knew full well that Kraglin could hold his own and protect Peter at the same time, so why had this bothered him _this much_. Not only that, but it had just occurred to him that they hadn't even been gone that long. He let out a frustrated sigh knowing the younger Ravager was patiently waiting for him to speak again. "Just keep an eye on Quill. That boy can cause far more trouble than he's worth." That was the only thing that came to mind before he cut the connection. _'Unbelievable.'_   Yondu scowled at himself. At least he knew Kraglin would never question him about this.

-

The hours passed without much happening. The crew was steadily returning from wherever they'd spent the day and all seemed normal. All except that a certain pair hadn't returned yet. This didn't bother Yondu, however. He knew taking Peter shopping was a hassle all on its own due to the boy wanting to inspect every little thing. He could recall plenty of times where he had to drag or even pick up the boy if he ever wanted to get a move on. 

So needless to say, when Peter made contact with the ship, he wasn't expecting the pure terror in the boy's voice.

"Yondu! YONDU! We're under attack! Th-this guy won't leave us alon-" That was all he managed to say before he had let out a gasp in pain, followed by the sound of the communicator he was using hitting the ground.

"Quill?!" Blaster shots could be heard, but they got more and more distant. Every Ravager within the room was silent. It had to be the quietest it had ever been.

It only took Yondu a moment before he jumped into action.

"Horuz! Get this damn ship to that planet of yours!" That man better be counting his blessings. If he wasn't the only one to know exactly where that planet was there would have been a chance of an arrow finding it's way through his skull.

It took far too long for comfort to reach the planet, but when it was finally in sight Yondu briskly made his way towards the M-ships, ordering Tullk and Oblo to accompany him just in case.

When they finally broke from the clouds, the surface seemed to be in shambles. Many of the stores within the marketplace were ruined and the people were in a state of panic. The people who weren't panicking were laying on the ground. Remembering the sounds of the blaster shots, they must have been unfortunate bystanders caught in the crossfire. That, however, wasn't Yondu's main concern.

His _main_ concern was the state of the M-ship Kraglin and Peter had used when he finally spotted it. The wing had been completely destroyed. But that wasn't the most concerning part. That award went to whatever was approaching the opened door of the ship.

Tullk, who was flying their M-ship, didn't even need to be told to get down there. Yondu opened their ships door, not waiting for them to touch the ground. With a swift whistle, he sent his arrow flying and chased after it.

Coming to a halt at the doorway of the damaged ship, he finally got a good look at what had been causing those he cared for so much trouble. The android in front of him had very strong metal surrounding it's inner mechanisms. The Yaka Arrow, however, was stronger. With another whistle, he pierced the robot again for good measure before letting the arrow return to him.

Yondu's eyes widened once he finally got the chance to examine the devastation left by the android.

Thankfully, though Peter was hurt, he was alive. That much he could tell. Such a thing wasn't as easy to determine for someone else...

"Get Quill out of here _now_! An' patch that leg up 'fore he loses any more blood!" Yondu yelled as he ran past the boy and over to his first mate, kneeling down next to him. "What...what the hell were you doin'? Were you _tryin'_   to get shot?!" Thousands of emotions were running through him. Anger. Worry. _Fear._  He was only able to get a small breath of relief after checking Kraglin's pulse. It was very weak, but it was _there_. Still, he needed to hurry. If he didn't get him to the medical bay in the Eclector as soon as possible, he wouldn't make it.

"You're not leaving me without a first mate, Kraglin." Yondu's voice was soft as he gently hoisted the man into his arms. It was heart-wrenching seeing him so pale. "I'll drag yer sorry ass out of death's door if I have to. An' you know full well not to test me on that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter doesn't flow quite right especially since I'm still trying to get used to writing for our favorite space dad. I had a basic idea of what I wanted to happen in this fic before writing it and that included a Yondu centric chapter since all the others are focused on Kraglin and Peter.  
> Anyway, I'm thinking of starting a series for this if anyone's interested in that. I already have some ideas for the next part.  
> Oh, and one last thing; I'm going to try and reply to comments for this chapter (up until the final part is posted) because you all are so awesome and I want to get over my shyness, dammit.


	5. Things'll Get Brighter

_'O-o-h child_  
_Things are gonna get easier_  
_O-o-h child_  
_Things'll get brighter...'_

Peter slowly opened his eyes, letting out a small moan of pain. His head was throbbing. He had no recollection of what had happened before this moment. All he could guess was that at one point he had made his way into his sleeping quarters and fell asleep listening to his Walkman. He assumed his aching head was due to some sort of fight he had gotten into with one of the Ravagers. It sounded plausible enough, so why did it feel as though that were wrong?

Something just didn't add up with that conclusion. It was as if something was missing, but what was it?

_'Some day, yeah_  
_We'll walk in the rays of a beautiful sun_  
_Some day_  
_When the world is much brighter...'_

Gradually and agonizingly, Peter turned his head to the side. He noticed a small bear resting on his pillow next to him. Confused, he slowly picked it up to examine it.

_He was forgetting something._

There was dried blood stained on the stuffed animal.

_He was forgetting something very, very important._

Peter's eyes suddenly widened. A rush of memories hit him like a ton of bricks.

He recalled the marketplace, eating the slice of apple pie, the keychain, someone roughly grabbing him and striking his head with inhuman strength when he was alone...

_'O-o-h child_  
_Things are gonna get easier_  
_O-o-h child_  
_Things'll get brighter...'_

The corpses trapped within glass.

Perhaps that was the main thing his brain had tried to hide from him. He also remembered the bone-chilling fear he felt as something was chasing after him and Kraglin.

The plush toy fell from his hand.

_Kraglin!_

Despite his head practically screaming at him, Peter shot up. Ignoring the dizziness, the boy ripped off his headphones and kicked away the blankets. 

Just as quickly as he was up, he was back down. A sharp pain had ran up his leg, causing him to fall and become acquainted with the floor. It hurt, but his leg wasn't unusable. The sudden pressure on the forgotten injury had just made it give out for a moment. Forcing himself back up, the young boy continued his sprint out of the room.

He honestly had no idea where he was going. Peter just wanted to find Kraglin. He wanted to make sure he was alright. The fear of the worst possible outcome blocked out the sounds of people calling his name; trying to tell him to stop running. He continued this until someone had grasped onto his shoulder and forced him to halt. With the memory of the last time he had been unsuspectingly grabbed still all too fresh, it made the boy scream and struggle for dear life.

"QUILL!" Peter was being shaken, making him finally rejoin reality. He realized the one who had stopped him was Yondu, who was now kneeling down to meet his eye level. That was all the boy's brain needed to process for him to throw his arms around the man. He didn't care if the Ravager captain wasn't one for affection. He also didn't care when he heard him order his crew to leave the area. He just needed someone to hold on to; someone to listen as he spoke through sobs.

"M-my fault. It..it's all- _all my fault!_ " Remorse washed over Peter. If he had just done what he had been told and stayed near Kraglin, that horrible experience would have never happened. " _Sh-should of...should of listened..._ " Peter couldn't keep his small, guilt ridden voice from shaking. How could anyone forgive him for what he had caused to happen? How could he forgive _himself?!_

"Deep breaths, son." Yondu spoke slowly, trying to calm the child. Peter attempted to do what he was told. After everything that happened, he was too afraid of any possible consequences that could potentially occur if he did otherwise. His voice was still too unsteady to speak coherently, however. He so desperately wanted to ask about Kraglin. Thankfully, it seemed as though Yondu read the boy's mind.

"Kraglin'll be alright. Xandarians are some durable bastards." Peter closed his eyes for a moment, taking in the much needed relief. "Lucky, too. Would'a found a way to bring him back to life just so I could kill 'im myself for even _daring_ to leave my crew without my say-so."

Peter finally let go of Yondu, letting the man stand up. The boy was looking at the ground when he mumbled something too quietly for the captain to hear.

"What's that, boy?"

"Where is he?" It was still quiet, but actually audible this time.

"Med-bay. Probably'll be there for awhile."

"Can I go see him?" Peter kept his head down but looked up with his eyes.

Yondu let out a small chuckle. "As if you'd listen if I said no."

-

Peter stood at the door to the med-bay. He was a little afraid to enter. The boy tightly held onto the straps of his backpack, which he had talked Yondu into retrieving. _Why_ he had wanted it, the Centaurian couldn't even guess. After a few minutes had passed, Yondu finally had enough standing around.

"He'll be up an' walking by the time you get in there!"

That was enough to make Peter take a deep breath and enter. Yondu let the boy go in alone.

The feeling of regret only strengthened when he saw Kraglin. The young man didn't look as bad as the boy had imagined, but he didn't exactly look good, either. Peter slowly inched his way towards the Ravager's bed and cautiously sat at the edge of it, not wanting to wake him. 

"I'm...I- I uh..." Peter felt a tightness in his throat. He found it difficult to speak again. The boy felt tears welling up, making him angrily wipe his eyes. He still hated crying. Despised it, even. Yet he could never quite manage to hold back the tears despite his best efforts.

_'Showin' off yer emotions like that ain't gonna help you here, boy. Best learn to keep em under control.'_  He could recall Yondu telling him this the first few weeks he was on the ship. Though in context it had been said after the young Terran had gone into hiding from the Ravagers, he felt it was advice that could be put into any situation. Still didn't mean it was easy to follow.

It took awhile, but Peter managed to get his voice working again. With his head hung low and hands gently holding onto the first mate's arm, the boy murmured, "I'm sorry, Kraglin...

_I'm so so so so sorry..._ " 

"...Don' apologize, Pete." Much to his head's dismay, Peter quickly looked up to see Kraglin weakly smiling at him.

Peter couldn't help but laugh in between his sobs. He was overcome with joy to see the Ravager awake and hear him talking. It took every ounce of willpower not to hug him. Instead, he focused that energy into taking off his backpack and getting something from inside it. Carefully, the boy placed an item in the first mate's hand. Even though Kraglin had an idea of what he'd been given, he still decided to take a look at it.

It was the keychain.

"I want you to be the one to give it to Yondu," Peter was beaming even though his eyes were red from tears. It felt so refreshing to see a genuine smile on his face again. "I wouldn't of been able to get it without you, so it's only fair."

"Heard my name. What'd you do, Quill?" It was unclear if Peter had intentionally said the name loud enough for the the Ravager captain to hear. Regardless, there he was. Deciding not to ask what Kraglin was holding, Yondu commented, "Oh sure, wake up for the boy but not for your Captain."

"Sorry...guess I just didn't wanna hear you lecture me bout sleepin' on the job." That put a grin on his face. Kraglin's eyes darted from Peter to the keychain, feeling a bit awkward for just kinda holding it for all to see. The boy ushered Yondu over.

When the captain got close enough, Kraglin handed it over. "Uhm...Pete an' I got you somethin." _Mostly Peter_ , he wanted to say. He also wanted to tell Yondu how the kid had expertly haggled for the item. That would be a little story the man would love to hear about, though that was probably best left for later.

"Oh, did ya now?" As Yondu inspected the keychain, a sudden realization came over him. And boy, did he feel dumb for it not clicking earlier. _This_ little object was why Peter had stayed away from him and why the two went to that stupid planet to begin with. Damn, showed just how much he'd been paying attention that day. In his defense, his mind had been a little preoccupied at the time.

Still, he didn't know whether he should thank the two or whack them upside their heads. Considering their current conditions, Yondu decided that he'd do the latter some other time.

"We were thinking it'd go good with your trinket collection." Peter was watching the Ravager captain, waiting eagerly for his thoughts on the keychain.

Oh, these two were going to be the end of him one day. He just knew it. Not knowing what else to do, Yondu just shook his head while the grin he wore tugged a little tighter on his lips. "I'm thinkin' you're right. It'll fit right in." It wasn't often the words that were coming up next were spoken. It was even rarer for them to be uttered with sincerity. "Thank you. Both of you."

_Alright,_ that was the absolute limit of heartfelt conversations the man could handle for a year, let alone a day. Clearing his throat, Yondu nudged Peter. "C'mon, Quill. The both of you need rest."

The young boy rubbed his eyes. It didn't hit him until now just how tired he was.

With a small eye roll, Yondu added, "An' I sure as hell ain't carrying you to yer sleeping quarters, neither."

"Sleepover!" Peter drowsily joked as he got off the bed. He turned back to look at Kraglin. "See you later, Krags. If you wanna borrow my Walkman, just let me know." That made both Ravagers raise their eyebrows in surprise. Peter never allowed anyone to use, let alone _borrow_  his Walkman before. Kraglin was touched by the offer.

"Thanks, Pete."

Peter smiled in response then grabbed Yondu's hand, leaving the med-bay. It only took a few short minutes to get to Peter's room. However, the boy stopped short of the enterance much to Yondu's confusion. "You know," Peter began as he looked up at the space pirate. "There's something bothering me.

"You still need to tell me when your birthday is!" _After all,_ he wanted to add. _The keychain had originally been a bargaining tool_ _to get some sort of answer out of you. It was just terrible luck that things got all crazy._

Yondu shook his head. Of _course_ a dumb question like that would still be on the kid's mind. Having been around Peter long enough, he wondered why he'd expected anything different.

"Hope you're a fast healer, boy." Yondu decided to avoid answering by changing the topic to something far more important. "When you're better, I'm gonna teach ya how to pilot an M-ship. Best to learn while you're young and have an empty head."

That seemed to do the trick, because a huge grin spread across Peter's face.

It had been a roller coaster of a day to say the least. Life had seemed so bleak and fleeting not too long ago. Now, it felt like the opposite.

Despite everything, Peter realized one very important thing;

Things always get brighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, I had a blast writing this. For being my first fanfic, I'm pretty satisfied with how it turned out.  
> Anyway, I wanna thank every single one of you for reading and hope you have a wonderful day! :D
> 
> UPDATE: So I realized _~~almost a year later because I'm the least observant person in the universe~~_ I never concluded Peter's whole reasoning for getting a present in the first place (to get Yondu to answer when his birthday was), which baffles me because that's kinda a huge thing to miss! Even though I only added a pathetically short paragraph to correct this mistake, it's still nice to tie up that loose end.


End file.
